The UN Human Rights Council (successor to the Human Rights Commission) has become such an object of loathing that even the State Department has taken notice.Anyone with any intelligence long ago reached the conclusion that the UNHRC is ludicrous, as well as being inimical to the interests of the United States. However, it took the autochthons of Foggy Bottom just a little bit longer than the rest of us to grasp the obvious:
According to Reuters:
The United States has quietly informed Western allies of its intention to walk away from the U.N. Human Rights Council, diplomatic sources said on Friday.
The U.S. delegation has observer status, with the right to speak, in the 47-member state forum, which meets in Geneva, and has never stood for election to the Council since it was set up two years ago.
Diplomatic sources and rights activists said that U.S. officials had informed the European Union on Friday morning of its intention to halt its involvement in the Council.
“They said they were going to disengage totally,” said one representative of a rights watchdog group.
In a Council debate on Friday on the situation in Myanmar, the United States failed to take the floor on a topic on which until now it has always been vocal, a possible sign that it had little further interest in the body. The Council replaced the widely discredited U.N. Commission on Human Rights.
But it is seen by critics as having fallen under control of a bloc of Islamic and African countries, which have a majority when backed by their frequent allies Russia, China and Cuba.
Russia… China… Cuba… Libya… Zimbabwe… Sudan… Even the State Department eventually noticed that human rights aren’t exactly held in high esteem by these countries.
Voice of America has a slightly different take on the story:
- - - - - - - - -
The United States has confirmed plans to scale back its participation in the United Nations Human Rights Council.
A State Department spokesman Sean McCormack says U.S. representatives will be much more selective in dealing with the Geneva-based council. He said the United States will engage the U.N. body only when matters of American national interest are involved.
The U.S. delegation is not a council member but has observer status on the 47-nation body.
The State Department spokesman noted growing U.S. skepticism about council activities noting that it focused on criticizing Israel instead of dealing with other human rights issues. [emphasis added]
The American national interest will never be involved as long as we refuse to acknowledge the legitmacy and authority of the UNHCR. When the UN announces that is sending a delegation to investigate the United States for practicing racism against Barack Obama, the proper response is to laugh uproariously, hoist a tankard to salute the TV screen, and then return to whatever it was we were doing before.
The UN Human Rights Council is a joke. It’s of no consequence.
Unless we take it seriously, that is.
Hat tip: Henrik.
4 comments:
There is no better summation of the UNHRC than the speech given in session by Hillel Neuer, Executive Director of UN Watch, before the UN Human Rights Council's 4th Session 23 March, 2007
Please watch the linked seven minute video. Below, for your delectation, is the text of this brave man's speech, including the subsequent condemnation of it and threats of censure by U.N. Human Rights Council President Louis Alfonso de Alba.
For the sake of perspective, I have linked to a tape that includes three minutes of various speeches that preceeded Mr. Neuer's, all of which were greeted without the least objection.
-------- BEGIN TEXT --------
Mr. President,
Six decades ago, in the aftermath of the Nazi horrors, Eleanor Roosevelt, Réné Cassin and other eminent figures gathered here, on the banks of Lake Geneva, to reaffirm the principle of human dignity. They created the Commission on Human Rights. Today, we ask: What has become of their noble dream?
In this session we see the answer. Faced with compelling
reports from around the world of torture, persecution, and violence against women, what has the Council pronounced, and what has it decided?
Nothing. Its response has been silence. Its response has been indifference. Its response has been criminal.
One might say, in Harry Truman’s words, that this has become a Do-Nothing, Good-for-Nothing Council.
But that would be inaccurate. This Council has, after all, done something.
It has enacted one resolution after another condemning one single state: Israel. In eight pronouncements—and there will be three more this session—Hamas and Hezbollah have been granted impunity. The entire rest of the world—millions upon millions of victims, in 191 countries—continue to go ignored.
So yes, this Council is doing something. And the Middle East dictators who orchestrate this campaign will tell you it is a very good thing. That they seek to protect human rights, Palestinian rights.
So too, the racist murderers and rapists of Darfur women tell us they care about the rights of Palestinian women; the occupiers of Tibet care about the occupied; and the butchers of Muslims in Chechnya care about Muslims.
But do these self-proclaimed defenders truly care about Palestinian rights?
Let us consider the past few months. More than 130 Palestinians were killed by Palestinian forces. This is three times the combined total that were the pretext for calling special sessions in July and November. Yet the champions of Palestinian rights—Ahmadinejad, Assad, Khaddafi, John Dugard—they say nothing. Little 3-year-old boy Salam Balousha and his two brothers were murdered in their car by Prime Minister Haniyeh’s troops. Why has this Council chosen silence?
Because Israel could not be blamed. Because, in truth, the dictators who run this Council couldn’t care less about Palestinians, or about any human rights.
They seek to demonize Israeli democracy, to delegitimize the Jewish state, to scapegoat the Jewish people. They also seek something else: to distort and pervert the very language and idea of human rights.
You ask: What has become of the founders’ dream? With terrible lies and moral inversion, it is being turned into a nightmare.
Thank you, Mr. President.
REPLY BY U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL PRESIDENT LUIS ALFONSO DE ALBA:
For the first time in this session I will not express thanks for that statement. I shall point out to the distinguished representative of the organization that just spoke, the distinguished representative of United Nations Watch, if you'd kindly listen to me. I am sorry that I'm not in a position to thank you for your statement. I should mention that I will not tolerate any similar statements in the Council. The way in which members of this Council were referred to, and indeed the way in which the council itself was referred to, all of this is inadmissible. In the memory of the persons that you referred to, founders of the Human Rights Commission, and for the good of human rights, I would urge you in any future statements to observe some minimum proper conduct and language. Otherwise, any statement you make in similar tones to those used today will be taken out of the records.
-------- END TEXT --------
Well, good news it seems...
Despite everything, I just don't think America has the balls to step back alone.
Here in Europe, all the MSM is saying is that Barack Obama has already won the election and that no one will vote in a old crazy man, only racists, that is.
Our withdrawal from the Council if irrelevant so long as we continue funding it.
"The UN Human Rights Council is a joke."
The words "Human Rights Council" aren't needed in this sentence.
I wish my country would pull out of the UN. Corrupt, anti-semitic, pro-islam, anti-west - yes, all the signs of marxists and another organisation that's helping to destroy the west.
The global warming scam they have deliberately misled the west over is further evidence of their malice.
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